Carp Fishing Diary... Rob Shanks

This entry was posted on 23rd December, 2013

Carp Fishing Diary... Rob Shanks

It’s been a productive few months if not also a little bit frustrating. In my last piece I spoke about how I’d made some rig adjustments based on the fact I’d been entirely tuned up by some carp in the edge during the summer months, which I must say have paid dividends with very few losses, increased bites and a clear improvement in the hook holds I’ve been achieving. The Norfolk syndicate had been extremely busy over the later parts of the summer, several of the regulars were doing some serious time and had there own things going so not wanting to get in the way of anyone’s hard work, even back in July I’d almost given it up as a bad job and made plans and started preparing for the cooler autumnal months ahead.



Having fished the water the previous year I already had a fair idea what sort of areas the fish would start to visit as the light hours faded away and the water temperatures dropped. So me and a close friend started to trickle some Sticky Baits Vortex boilies into some of the deeper, less popular areas of the lake in preparation and to be honest we started to pick the odd fish up from the start, nothing massive but some nice fish to the mid twenties. Come the middle of September we started to see increased activity, although subtle, in and around the areas, to be fare I wasn’t surprised as the area had been getting regularly fed with limited pressure for over two months. We didn’t hit the spots hard, choosing to just nip in and out on quick overnighters under the radar to not draw too much attention to ourselves.

Although I personally didn’t manage to put any real chunks on the bank, we were both regularly catching carp whilst others around us were seemingly struggling and my friend went on to catch one of the lakes biggest residents at 37.06, a real peach of common, along with another common a few ounces in excess of 33lb. I’d been unlucky myself to not get one of the lakes better fish but there were no hard feelings, it was a joint effort and my friend although he would never admit it is a very talented angler who has gone on to catch the lakes four biggest residents in less than 6 months, superb angling in my eyes. Our run in this area was about to come to an abrupt end when a couple of the other members cottoned on to what was going on, with jealously getting the better of them they jumped onto the back of our hard work and it became difficult getting back into the zone, although we did manage one more session in the area where we both caught well on a sneaky Sunday overnighter.



The fish however quickly moved on as the increased pressure took its toll. I had a couple of weeks away as I caught a nasty dose of tonsillitis but was eventually busting to get back down the lake. I knew the area would be blown or occupied so I’d have to up my game and try and hunt the carp down. My tackle was trimmed down to allow me to be ultra mobile so I would be more inclined to move onto any carpy activity which included the decision to rough it out whatever the weather under my Wychwood HD brolly in cold conditions to allow me to do so. With a quiet weekend planned I decided to fish a quick 24hr session, it was around the middle of November and the weather much to my disgust had took a big step toward becoming winter and I arrived at the lake around 10.30am. I was pleasantly surprised that there were only two cars parked in the car park but recognising the cars I knew before I even walked round the other members would certainly be bivvied up in my old zone and a stroll round the lake confirmed it.



All I was interested in was a sign, just some kind of clue where they had moved too. I’d had a tip off where they were a few days earlier so that’s where I started but for the time of year the fish were still mega mobile, using all areas of the lake. The swim also gave me a good view of the lake and the only areas hidden behind the island were the swims that were occupied anyway, so I was glad in a way I couldn’t see. The first couple of hours passed pretty uneventfully but I had noticed some subtle signs of activity to my right on the opposite bank along some marginal weed but I put it down to pike in the margins as the lake is rammed full of them and they were becoming very active, chasing roach in the margins. Another angler turned up to fish at midday, a young lad, Rob Mitchell the bailiff’s son, he popped round for a chat before he trotted off to get his barrow and as I bid him farewell I saw a carps head pop out where I’d seen the earlier activity.



As I scanned the area a few yards to the left another fish, a golden common rose out of the water to the wrist of its tail, with the sun glimmering off it’s head before sliding back down, silently into it’s ice cold home, then another and another. Within two minutes I’d wound all three rods in, yanked the bank sticks out of the ground and was half way round lake to secure the area. As I got in the swim there was another swirl on the surface only a short distance from the bank and all of a sudden I felt that there was certainly a bite on the cards. I decided not to fish the swim directly where the fish were showing in front of, opting to angle from a swim to the left on the opposite side of the bay. It gave me a much better line lay and I was conscious of spooking the fish with them showing so close in. Within half hour I was set up in the swim ready to flick out the rods the short distance where they had been skating around on the surface. I sat on the bed for a little while deciding where to put them, it’s all to easy to rush in and ruin your chances but I decided to fish one toward the bank of margin weed opposite a few rods lengths short in the silt behind the weed, the middle rods where both fanned at about 45 yards range, one into open water the other towards, but short of a island. I had a feeling the fish would move right to left and this gave me the best chance to ambush them on the move.



The rigs where stiff bottom bait presentations incorporating a short length of ESP Ghost in 18lb and a size 7 ESP longshanx hook. Hook baits where Sticky Baits Vortex Boilies in 16mm that had been steeping in the matching glug for a few weeks, a small bag of boilie crumb was hooked on before casting. I didn’t bother putting any free bait out until after dark as the lakes resident flock of bait stealing hawks (seagulls) made it impossible to get anything out during the daylight hours. So I sat contently drinking tea, hot water bottle perversely shoved down the front of my salopettes, watching for signs of activity in the hope that I hadn’t spooked them. In the hours leading up to darkness I saw several more carp sloshing around in the surface layers.

Just as dusk was setting in I got to work with the throwing stick spreading two handfuls of 16mm Vortex boilies around each rod and got my Advanta power stove fired up for a nice warm bowl of soup and crusty bread. An hour later my right hand rod burst into life, it was an odd take with the fish taking short burst of line of the spool before stopping. I pulled into the fish with the Fox Horizon rod taking on a nice curve as the fish kited left nicely into open water away from the snaggy margin to my right. I had to be carefully close in as there was a bank of weed and a few snaggy tree roots to my right, the fish made a couple of spirited runs along the margin but the power in the 3.5lb test curve rod soon slowed him down and before long the fish was gulping and swirling on the black oily surface ready for the net and glided in first time. Flicking the head torch on confirmed a nice deep bodied mirror, a fish named shoulders which spun the Reuben’s round to 25.08lb, I fired a few pic’s off on the tripod and the fish was returned none the worse for his short visit onto the bank.



I quickly set about getting the rod back out, the temperature was dropping like a stone and once sorted I quickly got myself tucked into the sleeping bag but not before warmer the hot water bottle up again. I laid there toasty, listening contently to the odd fish as they continued to roll long into the night but they seemed like they had moved in front of me rather than to staying to my right and by morning I’d picked up another two but on my left hand rod confirming that they had moved as I predicted. I didn’t bother photographing either fish as they were repeat captures, a low twenty common and another plump mirror of 24.04. By morning it was clear the fish had moved on without so much as a ripple on the flat calm misty surface and by half past ten I was making my way through the gate homeward bound but not before depositing a bit of free food into a few areas. It just shows if you’re willing to compromise a few home comforts and stay mobile during the cooler months it can certainly pay dividends.



I’d just like to take this opportunity to thank all the people that have read my pieces over the last year, many with kind words and positive feedback and to wish you all a Merry Christmas and tight lines whatever your angling ambitions are for the coming year. From a personal point I’m moving onto a new water in February full of enthusiasm and can’t wait for the new challenges that lay ahead.